Why Don't We Just Pretend?
by Leonar3d16
Summary: Rejection. Anguish. Insecurity. To Refardian, these things have hung like a thick cloud above his head from as early as he can remember. Out of an empty and desolate life, he is suddenly dropped into a world of love, companionship, and adventure, discovering who he truly is, and what he really wants. Gay Relationships, Rated T. World Of Warcraft.


A loud shatter jolted Refardian out of his disoriented stupor, his bleary eyes slowly focusing on the empty shot glass in front of him. Behind his stool where he sat, he heard drunken laughter erupt as another mug was smashed upon the floor, the sound stabbing his mind with sharp pains. The noisy chattering and clanking of mugs added to the boisterous atmosphere. He mentally cringed, his head pulsing with wave after wave of pressure. _Hangover_, he grumpily thought to himself. He apparently managed to have dozed off after some drinking in the afternoon, waking up several hours later.

A small yet formidable goblin suddenly burst through double doors at the back of the bar, spinning the loose frames on their creaky hinges around into the walls, silencing the entire room. His expression was fuming. "Ey! You break it you buy it!", he screeched, Pointing with a dark green stubby finger at the shards of the mugs scattered across the floor. His tiny eyes roved through the rowdy group, who were all looking the other way, trying to hold in laughter. He let out an exasperated sigh and glanced over Refardian, his eyebrow raising in response to seeing a human in his horde-dominated bar, but the goblin didn't care enough to give a second look. This was Dalaran after all, which meant no fighting was allowed. It was rather a strange sight regardless, and he wasn't the only one that seemed to notice. The hooded tauren in the corner watching the human with a dangerous glare seemed to take heed as well.

Refardian fumbled with his belt and removed a small phosphorescent purple orb, grasping it in the palm of his quivering hand. He began to draw out the compact arcane energy from within it, revitalizing his senses and returning himself to a pristine state of mind. He let out a sigh of contentment as his pain dissipated, just as shouting erupted from behind him once again. _Too noisy,_ he thought to himself, when a young female blood elf sitting a table away subtly cleared her throat, her eyes fixated on him. Refardian's eyes narrowed as he began gathering his things, making sure not to look in her direction. "Where do you think you're going handsome?", she whispered, her eyes looking Refardian's body up and down as he reluctantly turned to face her. He gave her a strong look of distaste, her skimpy strap-less black dress barely long enough to cover everything. "I was just on my way to run some errands", he lied casually. He knew this girl was trouble. "What a shame", she said playfully. "Sad timing to arrive as the fun is leaving", the seductiveness of her voice a little too corny for Refardian's taste- that and the fact he was gay didn't exactly work in her favor. "Sorry to disappoint, but you're barking up the wrong tree..", he said impassively, putting extra emphasis on the last two words. She processed the thought for a moment, and surprise flickered across her emerald eyes. "You're...", she hesitated, unsure of how to continue."Yep!", he replied, his scowl replaced by a wide grin. She turned away to hide the blush creeping up the sides of her pale face. "Oh...", she said. "Whoops". She abruptly stood up and left the bar, awkwardly stumbling upon mug pieces as she left. Refardian's quiet laughter came to a quick end though...

The front door of the bar suddenly flew open. A night elf walked in, and everything went silent. Refardian looked up and simply stared. He was inviting, mesmerizing, beautiful, strong, enigmatic.. The elf's dark green textured hair was tied in a long braid that traveled down his back. His smooth skin a deep shade of purple. His features were angular like most of his race, but he had bright deep complex golden eyes, a feature he had never seen before of the elven kind. It was irresistible. He was confident but not cocky, masculine yet fluid with his long strides. the list went on and on, and Refardian stared on and on. Everyone else seemed to have a similar reaction, whether it be for his presence, the fact that he was Alliance, or because of the embroidering of a black tiger on his tabard which symbolized one of the most prestigious guilds in Azeroth. "Izlanzarí", Refardian murmured silently to himself as the night elf paced casually across the room, as though there wasn't an entire bar of people watching his every single movement._ he must get this quite often_, Refardian thought to himself. The only sound was the elf's elaborately patterned brown and jade plate armor as It clinked with each step. He could feel his face heat up when the man sat down at the stool directly to his left, staring ahead emotionless. He smelled of freshly crushed pine needles. It was a very sharp natural scent that fit his appearance well.

Refardian glanced back at the soundless crowd staring at the two of them and he sighed. "Enjoying the view?", he asked. They eventually turned their attention back onto each other, silent conversations beginning, yet still watching the two men out of the corner of their eyes. Refardian didn't care though: There were more important things at hand.

"Uh.. hi!", blurted out Refardian, cursing himself beneath his breath at his greeting. There was a moment before the elf looked up and they made eye contact, which made Refardian use all of his focus to not lose his manners. "Hey", said the elf gruffly. "My name is Refardian.. Ref for short". This time the elf didn't respond. Refardian exhaled slowly, realizing he had been holding his breath. "And you are?", he pressed. The elf's right ear twitched slightly. "My name is Noatok", he replied. He didn't seem like he was in a mood to talk, but Refardian pressed on regardless, at this point simply trying to get a reaction from him. "What brings one such as you into a crap bar like this?", Refardian casually asked, noticing a large white blade resting on the elf's back, its hilt resembling a gold tiger posed to strike. A long moment passed before the elf answered, tunneling Refardian with those impossibly deep eyes. "Just came for a drink", he said curtly, his eyes narrowing by a hairsbreadth. His voice was authoritative, mixed in with poorly concealed annoyance. "I didn't mean to offend", Refardian quickly replied. "It's just so strange to find not only Alliance in here, but well known Alliance for that matter". The elf looked back forward, his face once again emotionless. "And?", he said, his voice slightly hostile. "Says a human such as yourself?".

There was an awfully long silence before Refardian spoke, choosing his words carefully. "Look, I'm sorry if I made a bad first impression... it's just that it isn't very often I run into people that enjoy my company...". Refardian trailed off, looking away into a dusty corner to hide his blushing. He knew things were about to get awkward, and was dreading the question that was about to come. Noatok furrowed his brow, seeming puzzled at Refardians glance away. Refardian slowly turned his gaze back to the elf, fighting reluctantly. "Homosexuality isn't accepted in society, and people prefer to stay away..", he said cautiously. Refardian stared the elf in the eyes, searching for any form of a reaction. Noatok retained the stare for a few seconds before turning away. "I'm not interested, and even If I followed your ways, It wouldn't be with someone such as you", he said, not giving a second thought.

There was a painfully long pause before Refardian mentally slapped himself out of his dumbfounded state, trying his best not to show how much he was hurt by the elf's cutting words. He wanted to say so much, to fight back and be defiant, to tell this stranger off in front of everyone, but he only had enough time to get up and step out of the bar before a tear spilled out the corner of his eye.

Refardian sat at a dark stone table outside, nonchalantly shaping a floating ball of fire in his palm, contorting it to his will. He had no clue as to why he reacted to the strangers rejection so strongly, and he scolded himself mentally for it. He knew he was being childish, yet the awareness of that didn't seem to bother him in the slightest. His tear streaked face appeared calm, but there was a raging inferno underneath. He knew that being a fire mage meant having an increased sensitivity to anger, and he knew better than to lash out; it would only make things worse. Still, he didn't want to give up. But he knew it was a hopeless cause. The small flame in his hand suddenly flared, doubling in size and intensity. He closed his hand in one swift motion, snuffing out the fire. Darkness was back in an instant, sweeping over Refardian with a pang of sadness. Off in the distance, he could hear booming laughter and music from the bar he just came from. The familiar ache of loneliness settled in once again , and he welcomed it.

Refardian was about to fall asleep where he was sitting when he heard a twig snap a few yards away. He glanced up to see his human friend, Nadrian, walking towards him, yet he seemed to be very cautious, talking every step deliberately, as though Refardian was a shy animal and might be easily frightened. His dark brown eyes complimented his short russet hair. "May I?", he asked, gesturing at the seat across from Refardian at the table. Refardian gave a light nod, and he sat down. Nadrian studied Refardian for a moment before speaking. "What happened this time?", he asked, his brow furrowing. Refardian sighed, rubbing his temple, looking down at the marble table, faintly seeing his tear-streaked reflection. "Just something stupid", he replied, another tear slipping down his face. Nadrian's face softened immediately, and he placed one hand over Refardians comfortingly from across the table. Refardians gaze shifted up to their hands, and he liked the way Nadrian's calloused hand enveloped his: The warmth was calming in a strange way. "Are you hurt?", he asked, his expression a combination of rising anger and bewilderment. "No", Refardian replied quickly, even though his heart ached as though a boulder was resting on it. "I'm just being over dramatic", he said nonchalantly. Nadrian said no more, gently tracing over Refardian's fingers with his own. Refardian noticed how gentle and soothing Nadrian could be, contrary to his muscular frame. His thin purple mageweave shirt did little to conceal his defined torso. He noted at how he rarely wore his dark green and brown hunter garb, and preferred to dress more casually.

A half hour had passed with the two of them sitting together, exchanging no words but still enjoying each others company when they heard the front door of the bar open, and Noatok stepped out. Refardian's eyes tightened, and the night elf did the same. Nadrian looked over his shoulder to see what Refardian was glaring at, understanding flashing in his eyes. His hands slightly tensed over Refardian's. "It's ok", Refardian said to Nadrian under his breath, but he didn't break eye contact with the darkly handsome elf. Noatok seemed as cruel as ever, rolling his eyes as he pulled out a small green whistle and put it to his lips. Nadrian cringed slightly, bracing himself for a loud annoying sound, but nothing seemed to emanate from where Noatok stood. A deafeningly unsociable moment passed, and suddenly a large black night-saber seemed to appear out of thin air, quite possibly by stealth. The massive feline predator slinked over to Noatok's spot and graciously bowed, allowing him to mount itself, not seeming to care about the death glares in its direction. Noatok slowly looked down to his mount, and Refardian was knocked off guard for what he had just seen in his eyes: In that split moment, Noatok seemed to have a agonizing look of loathing, and it pained Refardian to see so. But there was something else; Confusion? The break in Noatok's expression ignited a spark of hope within Refardian, but he stomped it out immediately, letting out a shaky breath. Noatok nodded slightly down a street to their right, and the tiger pounced off in a blink, leaving Refardian and Nadrian once again alone in the night.

"Ref", Said Nadrian, his voice pleading. Refardian loosened his grip on Nadrian's palm at the sound of his nickname. It reminded him of where he was, and he stood up suddenly, his head spinning. "Forget about him", said Nadrian, stepping around the table and embracing Refardian in a tight hug. "He reeks of trouble." Refardian let out a chuckle at his friend's thoughts, and rested his head against Nadrian's chest, focusing on the steady thrum of his heart. Little by little, the tension around him negated. He felt exhausted suddenly. "Let's take you home", said Nadrian, almost seeming to read Refardian's mind.

Refardian felt a twinge of guilt as the two of them walked down the empty cobblestone paved streets , knowing that he would simply have to get over this stranger. But he secretly didn't want to, and it made him cringe mentally to be aware of this fact. *he couldn't care about me any less* Refardian thought meekly to himself, remembering the look of pure hate from Noatok, his golden eyes like deep wells of sorrow. It tore at his heart. But the slip up of emotion he seemed to have puzzled Refardian, and it caused him much worry to decipher what it meant.


End file.
